Silentium is an electroacoustic piece based on sounds of bells and church organs that where recorded during a residency at gallery Školská 28 in Prague, in December 2015.
The title was inspired by the “Silentium” signs that were regularly displayed in the churches where these recordings were made. Entering the temple requires the visitor to be quiet, to keep the noise down. This thoughtful silence is an intense and active condition essential for profound listening. It creates a liminal state between the natural and the supernatural world.
In this work, the properties of the churches’ sonic atmospheres subtly emerge; echoes of quiet interiors created by the whispers reverberating, the crackling of wooden chairs, a door closing, the water dripping down the pipelines. It should be noted that the title is not a hint at the piece being quiet. Some passages are indeed really silent, reaching the realms of the barely audible; other parts are rather loud.
Yiorgis Sakellariou is a composer of experimental and electroacoustic music. Since 2003, he has been active internationally being responsible for solo and collaboration albums, having composed music for short films and theatrical performances, leading workshops and ceaselessly performing his music around the globe.
He is a member of the Athenian Contemporary Music Research Centre and the Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Composers Association. Since 2004 he has curated the label Echomusic.
(label info)